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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · present · court · cell · fork · cue

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cue — a signal
  3. court — of a king
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. present — the time now
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. present — a gift
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — for sport
  14. cue — for pool
  15. court — of law
  16. present — there
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cue — a hint

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com